Weekly (sort of) Newsletter

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HSO's 4th Annual White Elephant Party: 12/12

The Honors Student Organization (HSO) is hosting a white elephant party, and you're invited! Celebrate the end of the semester with your fellow Honors students. Food and drinks will be provided. 

Thursday, December 12th, 6:00-10:00 pm

HLC Building 1000, Room 2210

RSVP here

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Summer Scholars Program at the Chautauqua Institution: Pre-apply Now

OK, y'all, this is one of the best deals we offer: a week-long, all-expenses-paid educational and enrichment trip to the Chautauqua Institution. It's called the Summer Scholars Program, and over the last three years, we have sent seven ACC Honors Program students (which is actually a large number when you consider that the opportunity is only available to 24 students nationwide every July).  

Intrigued? OK, check your eligibility. Do you meet the following requirements?

• Have taken at least one Honors course or are registered for a class in Spring '25 (Organizers will verify with us)

• A first-year Community College student in an Honors program who intends to transfer to a 4-yr institution to complete a Bachelor's degree

• Pell Grant-eligible (per FAFSA)

• a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident who is 18-25 years of age

• Intellectually curious & interested in meeting new people & forming new connections

• Participating (or interested) in extracurricular activities, research, community service, etc.

• Able to walk 2+ miles per day

If you're eligible, pre-apply today. Put my name down as the person who referred you: Dr. Anne-Marie Thomas

From the organizers: pre-applications are being accepted now and processed on a rolling basis through mid-January. If students demonstrate real interest and seem to be a good fit on their pre-application, they will be invited to complete a full application. Those who pre-apply early receive greater consideration.

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Summer Scholar Spotlight: Liana Lopez

Hi everyone! My name is Liana Lopez. I am a second-year honors student at Austin Community

College, and I am a proud alumni of the Summer Scholars Program at the Chautauqua Institution. I wanted to share my (wonderful) experiences from this past summer, and hopefully provide some valuable insight to the first year honors students who are considering (pre-) applying.

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Every morning at Chautauqua begins on the cozy porch of Bonnie Hall; the lovely home where Summer Scholars stay. There they enjoy Coffee & Conversation with professionals in their fields of interest. Since I am a creative writing major, I was introduced to published poets, librarians, journalists, and bookstore owners. Some of the other professionals in attendance included architects, artists, pianists, business owners, and professors. Most of the people I spoke with remain deeply appreciated mentors as I consider publication, transfer, and graduate schools!

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After Coffee & Conversation, the majority of your schedule is completely left to your own devices—fill your day with educational and philosophical lectures, share your own voice, perspective, and opinions about the lectures at post-dialogues, balance everything out with art galleries and cultural performances, or take advantage of some hands-on learning opportunities through cooking, knitting, and music classes. I especially enjoyed playing ukulele and music jamming, knitting during ballets and orchestras, and receiving signed books and career advice from novelists and a Grammy-nominated musician. No matter your major or hobbies, there is something for everyone at Chautauqua!

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Trust me when I say the benefits of this program do not end with the conclusion of your week-long stay. Whether you are feeling lost about your current and/or future academic experiences, or already have specific academic goals in mind, the brilliant and generous team behind the Summer Scholars Program works diligently throughout the week and after your return home to help find the path meant for you.

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For any specific questions about my experience (pre-) applying to the program or further questions about the program itself, please reach out to Dr. Anne-Marie Thomas (athomas2@austincc.edu) and she will facilitate our connection—I would be happy to speak with you!

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Showcase Your Research: Curiositas and Research Symposium

The Liberal Arts Gateway program, whose stated goal is to "provide a platform for students from diverse disciplines to present their research projects, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange," is sponsoring two opportunities to showcase your research. The first is the student journal Curiositas, whose submission requirements you can find here (The deadline is January 14, 2025.)

The second is a Student Research Symposium ot be held on Friday, April 18th. As with publishing in Curiositas, presenting in this forum will provide a nice line on your résumé and enhance your transfer applications; feel free to use projects from this semester. Submission details are here, and the deadline is February 29th. 

Projects for all ACC courses will be considered. Several Honors projects were showcased last year, so we'd love to see even more this time. 

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Spring '25 Honors Registration: Yes, Waitlists Work 

'Tis the season where students start rearranging their spring plans, which means we've been reaching out to several of you on the Spring '25 waitlists. We also still have classes that are open with no waitlists: ENGL 1302 (Magical Realism, Hyflex/CYP), ENGL 1302 (Queer Writings, RGC), SPCH 1311 (Developing Leadership Communication Competencies, RRC), MATH 1342 (Exploring Social Justice Issues through Data, HLC), SPCH 1315 (Environment, Rights, Humanitarianism & the Rhetoric of Change, DLS)  

Are you hoping to fulfill the Honors Scholar requirements and need a service opportunity? Professor Louisa Spaventa's "Queer Writings" ENGL 1302 (Composition II) course will be a designated service-learning class in the spring. Students will collaborate with Talk About It Texas.

You can see all of the Spring '25 Honors courses on the college's course schedule page. Please fill out the registration request form to ensure your spot in the courses offered. Remember, only Honors Program staff can register you due to the restricted nature of these courses. If you need some guidance about what courses to take, our Honors advisor Jana McCarthy can help you out: jana.mccarthy@austincc.edu.   

For general questions about registration, please contact honors@austincc.edu. Our support staff members Professor Melissa Foote and Professor Marcel Pons Ventura are eager to help.

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Ivy League Info Sessions: U Penn & Columbia U General School

Interested in attending an Ivy League school without having to relocate? The University of Pennsylvania is offering a fully online Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science degree. Register for a virtual transfer session here. Dates for the sessions are 11/12, noon, EST or 12/3 6:00 pm EST

 Students interested in exploring further can:

Review the Penn LPS online website

Request a preliminary transfer credit evaluation

Attend a live detailed virtual info session where they can ask questions or just listen

Watch a recorded general virtual session

Request more information

Schedule an appointment to talk with our admissions team (lpsonline@sas.upenn.edu)

Columbia University General School 

A number of ACC Honors students have transferred to the General School, including Marc Stoyer and Matthew Wilds. If you're interested in the possibilities, plan to attend one of their upcoming online information sessions:

GS Undergraduate Online Information Session

Wednesday, December 11, 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Friday Forum: Academic Interest - Humanities and the Arts

Friday, December 13, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

As always, if you apply and are accepted, let me know! We will co-host a transfer panel event with Transfer Services in February featuring Honors students who have transferred to highly competitive universities: UT's Journalism Program, Columbia University, and Brown University. 

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NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) Deadline: 11/25

We've had many Honors students join NCAS, and we'd like to see you take advantage of this one-of-a-kind opportunity, too. (You don't even have to be a STEM major to participate, as NASA needs folks from a variety of disciplines.) Check out the details here and attend one of the info sessions listed below. If you complete any of the missions, let me know. 

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NASA L'SPACE Program Applications Open for Spring 2025

Folks, these opportunities come to us courtesy of Honors Program alum Theo Courtois and Program Coordinator at the NASA L'SPACE Program at ASU. Let us know if you apply and are accepted!

I wanted to reach out to let you know that the applications for the NASA L'SPACE Program academies have opened for the Spring 2025 semester! Applications for the programs are reviewed on a rolling basis, so interested students should apply as soon as possible. Both of these 15-week academies are fantastic opportunities for Honors Program students interested in a future in the space industry. The academies are open to students from all majors as they are placed in interdisciplinary teams for the duration of the program. Students should expect to spend 6-10 hours per week participating in program activities and completing related work.

Mission Concept Academy (MCA):

Participants in the Mission Concept Academy will learn space mission development skills by developing a preliminary mission concept that follows the NASA mission life cycle. Students will have the opportunity to learn from NASA and industry professionals while developing a foundation in mission design, technical writing, and NASA review procedures.

NASA Proposal Writing & Evaluation Academy (NPWEE):

Participants in the NASA Proposal Writing & Evaluation Academy will work in a team to develop innovative solutions to NASA pain points. Students will learn how to formulate a new technology proposal while competing for $10,000 in funding to develop their team's proposed idea.

I hope that Honors Program students at Austin Community College will continue to take advantage of these free NASA workforce development programs. My participation in these programs has been instrumental in my understanding of the complex challenges of the space industry. The knowledge and skills that I gained from these academies and my continued involvement with the NASA L'SPACE Program have been an incredible catalyst to my space industry career. If students have questions related to these academies, please let them know that they are welcome to reach out to me directly via email: tcourtoi@asu.edu.

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The Mellon Humanities Collaboratory: Fully Funded Summer Research Opportunity

Interested in escaping Texas during the summer and doing research in the Humanities? See details below! In 2023, we sent two ACC Honors students to Baltimore: Adelaide Rouech-Beard (Art History & Sociology) and Zek McCormick (Philosophy & Computer Science). We'd love to send more students this year. If you apply and are accepted, definitely let me know! Also, I have a couple of sample proposals, so touch base with me if you're interested: athomas2@austincc.edu. 

I’m writing to invite Austin Community College students to apply to a fully funded summer research program hosted by Johns Hopkins University. The Mellon Humanities Collaboratory provides emerging humanities scholars currently enrolled in community college with a generous summer stipend of $6,000 for ten weeks of full-time mentored research. On top of the stipend, travel to and from Baltimore and housing at our beautiful campus are included in the award at no cost to the student. The program will be held on the Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus in Baltimore, Maryland, from May 27 through August 2, 2025.

With support and mentorship from Johns Hopkins faculty and research staff, Humanities Collaboratory participants design their own research projects in any area of the humanities. Using a student-centered, peer-modeling approach, the Collaboratory invites students to work together constructively while pursuing their individual projects. This highly successful model develops undergraduates as subject matter experts and prepares them for further study in the humanities at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Our website has more information, including videos produced by previous years’ participants detailing the impact of the program.

Applications for the 2024 program are open now through December 2, 2024. Due to restrictions on the Mellon funding, the program is open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents only. The only other eligibility requirements are current enrollment in a community college and an interest in humanities research. The online application can be found here.

We are hosting a series of virtual info sessions over the coming weeks. Please share the following links with your students and encourage them to register for a session:

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